Office of International Initiatives
About Us
Welcome to the website of the Office of International Initiatives and to the "window on the world" of our international work in the College of Education. As we enter the fifth year of our existence, we remain committed to the charge which the Office was created to meet: to support and foster the international dimension of our work in education.
We follow the lead reflected in the stated priorities of both the campus and the College to place global engagement and international work among the pillars of our vision for an outstanding College of Education in the 21st century. This means that we are charged in supporting faculty, staff, and students in promoting global dimensions of research and scholarship, teaching and educational programs, collaborative efforts with other institutions and partner schools, and in broadening the general character of our community and environment.
As a result, we have supported faculty and student travel to present papers at international conferences and engage in collaborative research, student experiences abroad, faculty development, curriculum transformation, hosting of international scholars and educators, and extensive collaboration with M.S.D.E. on policy and program initiatives related to internationalization of education and teacher education.
Read about our staff below:
Director: Dr. Steven Koziol (Ph.D., Stanford University)
Steven M. Koziol, Ph.D., is the Director of the Office of International Initiatives. He has been professor and chair in the Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership Department (formerly Curriculum and Instruction), and since 2008 has been Interim Dean for Academic Programs and International and Outreach Initiatives. Prior to coming to the University of Maryland, Dr. Koziol was a professor and Department Chair at Michigan State University (1997-2003), and was faculty member, program director, and Department Chair at the University of Pittsburgh (1970-1993). He is author of articles, chapters, monographs, and professional texts on topics pertaining to English teaching and teacher education; policy and design of teacher education programs; teacher performance assessment; and program development in internationalization of teacher education. Over his career he has worked closely with state departments of education, professional organizations, major national groups such as The Holmes Group, The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and with international reform initiatives in Egypt and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Senior Fellow: Dr. Jim Greenberg (Ph.D., University of Connecticut)
James D. Greenberg, Ph.D., is Senior Fellow at the Office of International Initiatives. He was founding director of the University of Maryland Center for Teaching Excellence as well as the founding Honors director in the College of Education. He has been a faculty member and administrator in Education at the University for more than 40 years. Recently, he also served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in South Africa, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Urban Partnerships (NCUP) in New York, as Visiting Fellow at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and as invited keynote speaker and workshop leader a number of U.S. and international conferences. Dr. Greenberg has been an invited speaker and workshop leader in Ecuador for many years, where the first Diplomado in University Teaching in Ecuador – designed and taught by Dr. Greenberg, Dr. Roberta Lavine, and colleagues – was recently completed. In 2007, he received the honor of Profesor Emerito from the Universidad Tecnológica Equinnoccial in Quito. He is also the recipient of several University of Maryland teaching awards, and in 2006, Dr. Greenberg was named a Merrill Presidential Scholar faculty mentor. Dr. Greenberg received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the College of Education in 2008, and he was also a keynote speaker at the International Society for Teacher Education conference in Australia in 2008 as well as a keynote speaker at the Second International Congress on University Teaching at the Universidad de Concepción, Chile, in January, 2009. In November, 2009, he received the University of Maryland Distinguished International Service award.
Assistant Director: Dr. Letitia Williams (Ph.D., University of Maryland College Park)
Letitia Williams, Ph.D. is the Assistant Director of the Office of International Initiatives. Letitia’s interest in international education began with her youth leadership work in the French and English speaking Caribbean. Her interest continued during her time as a secondary school History teacher in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago where she recognized the impact of globalization on education in her own country and committed to preparing students to operate successfully in increasingly international environments. Letitia came to the United States on a Fulbright Fellowship and has served as an intern at the Organization of American States and education consultant for the Democracy Collaborative. Her research work focuses on international perspectives on school leadership, the development of teacher and principal/leader efficacy, and exploring education quality from the perspective of teachers and school leaders.
Assistant Director: Rashi Jain (Ph.D., University of Maryland College Park)
Rashi Jain recently completed her doctoral studies in the Program of Second Language Education and Culture at the University of Maryland, College Park. An international student from multilingual and multicultural India, Rashi has experienced and explored the role that culture plays in language learning and teaching. In India, Rashi pursued simultaneous undergraduate studies in English and German language and literature at the University of Delhi and Max Mueller Bhavan, and worked for three years in a publishing house before deciding to return to academics and teaching. Rashi believes that teaching and learning can go hand-in-hand with research, and explored the complex and rich field of practitioner research and inquiry as her doctoral dissertation. She has co-authored chapters on teacher identity and pedagogy, World Englishes, and Non-native English Speaking Teacher (NNEST) issues, and has presented her work at multiple venues. Rashi is also interested in understanding the experiences of international students as well as international teachers in U.S. academic settings. When not immersed in teaching and graduate studies, Rashi likes to dabble in photography, pottery-making, long-distance slow running, and gardening.
Special Projects Coordinator: Jim DeGeorge
Jim retired from the Howard County School System after thirty years of service as a teacher and school principal. Upon his retirement, Jim began working at the University of Maryland as a Professional Development School Coordinator working teaching and supervising undergraduate and graduate students. In 2006, Jim became the Director of the College Park Scholars, Advocates for Children Program, in which he taught and advised freshmen and sophomores. During this time, Jim also directed a winter study abroad program in International and Multicultural Perspectives, to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Jim is currently assisting with the Distinguished Fulbright Scholars Program creating learning opportunities in local schools.
Assistant PDS Coordinator: Ann Schweighofer (MS Educational Leadership/Elementary Principal, Wilkes University)
Ann has been employed at the University of Maryland since 2008 as a Professional Development Schools Elementary Program Coordinator and Lecturer in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leaderhip. As Coordinator, her role is to support 20-30 interns in their year-long internship and work closely with our school partners in Prince George’s County. Ann has taught courses in Reading Assessment and Teacher Inquiry Methods (Master’s Certification Program) and Classroom Management (Undergraduate). Before coming to Maryland, Ann was a public school teacher in Pennsylvania where she taught students in grades 1-8 during her 30+year career.
Graduate Assistant (Program Coordination and Assessment): Yali Pan (Doctoral Candidate, University of Maryland College Park)
Yali Pan is a Ph.D. candidate in International Education Policy program at the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned a B.A. in Tourism and English from China and a M.A. in International Education Policy from University of Maryland. Studying at the University of Maryland has been a transformative experience for her, and she is curious to explore the experiences of other international students, particularly Chinese international students in the United States. Yali is also passionate about promoting international communication and exchange, because she deeply believes that mutual respect and understanding can be generated through the first-hand experiences of individuals of getting to know each other.
Graduate Assistant (Media and Event Coordination): Gaurav Khandelwal (Graduate student, University of Maryland College Park)
Gaurav Khandelwal is a Master’s candidate in the Information Management Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from Nagpur University, India. As an undergraduate, he served as a volunteer for the "Go Green" initiative started by a Non-profit organization in Nagpur. An international student himself, Gaurav believes education is a platform that can bring people together across national and cultural backgrounds. This drives him to understand the experiences of international students in the U.S., and work towards the promotion of international education to students. Gaurav’s graduate experiences here have motivated him to work for the Graduate Student Community, especially international graduate students. He is actively involved with the Graduate Student Government at the University of Maryland where he serves as the Vice-President for Committee Affairs. In this free time, Gaurav likes to watch movies, travel and meet new people.
We are located at:
3104 Benjamin Building
(301) 405-7501
Information & Projects
International Initiatives Fact Sheet
Support for Visiting Scholars
Hosting Departments please submit the Visiting Scholars Data Form